


Bitter Aftertaste

by tj_teejay



Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: 12 Monkeys Theme Week, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 22:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3706671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tj_teejay/pseuds/tj_teejay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter what Cole does, Cassie always dies. Cole wonders if that’s how it’s supposed to work. Missing scene from episode 1x09 “Tomorrow”. 12 Monkeys fic, written for Day 3 (What A Bright Little Monkey – Missing Scene) of the 12 Monkeys Theme Week 2015.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bitter Aftertaste

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Bitter Aftertaste  
>  **Author:** TeeJay  
>  **Fandom:** 12 Monkeys (Syfy)  
>  **Genre:** Gen  
>  **Characters/Pairings:** Cole, Cassie(-ish), Ramse  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Summary:** No matter what Cole does, Cassie always dies. Cole wonders if that’s how it’s supposed to work. Missing scene from episode 1x09 "Tomorrow".  
>  **Author's Note:** 12 Monkeys fic, written for Day 3 (What A Bright Little Monkey – Missing Scene) of the 12 Monkeys Theme Week 2015.  
>  **Disclaimer:** None of this is mine except for my vivid imagination. Copyright to characters and situations belongs to Terry Matalas, Travis Fickett, Atlas Entertainment, Syfy Channel, and whoever else might wish to claim ownership. I'm just borrowing for a little escapism and a whole lot of fun.
> 
> +-+-+-+-+

 

All the splintering was taking its toll, Cole could feel it. The headaches were becoming more intense, the dizziness after a splinter subsiding less quickly. And then there were the nosebleeds.

He felt so drained that he had to lie down after he returned to 2043, dozing off into nothingness with a worried Jones hovering nearby. She’d helped him off the chair, her touch tender and more comforting than usual. Her hand had rested on his back the whole way to the med room and he’d wordlessly endured the medics’ post-splinter ministrations with closed eyes.

Ramse wasn’t there, which was odd. He usually welcomed Cole after a splinter, but it seemed like this one hadn’t exactly gone according to plan, so that was probably why. He didn’t dwell on it.

When he awoke, he felt better. The dull headache and fuzziness in his brain had worn off to tolerable levels. With a low groan he got up and listened for noises or voices. It was dead quiet in the compound, which told him it had to be late at night.

He wandered aimlessly for a little while, trying to sort out the thoughts that were chasing each other in his head. He normally didn’t go to the Splinter Room when he wasn’t required to, but tonight the familiar surroundings provided a certain comfort. Not that there was much comfort to be found in this time anymore.

He sat down on the cool metal stairs, listening to the low, quiet hum of the machinery in standby. It had a certain soothing quality to it, with no one around other than him.

What the hell were they doing here? He didn’t know anymore. And now that a certain lucidity returned to his mind, what he had witnessed in 2017 was slowly sinking in.

He’d seen her die. Again. But this time she’d died in his arms, and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. It had broken a piece inside him that he hadn’t even known was there.

How often had he splintered now? It was supposed to be a one-time thing. It had sounded easy enough. But he had killed Goines, and... nothing had changed.

What if this was all just a futile effort? What if time travel didn’t work this way, and things would always happen the way they were supposed to? What if history just didn’t like to be messed with?

He wondered what Cassie had tried to insinuate there in the lab when she’d said that so much had happened between them after 2015. How often had he come to see her? What the hell was it that made her eyes fill with such sadness and regret when she told him that?

He remembered how her warm body felt in his lap, how she’d gone limp in his arms, the life draining from her. He’d seen many people die, but he’d never truly cared about anyone the way he cared about her, the way he’d mourned her. Yes, it was irrational and twisted, but that didn’t make it any less real.

He had stared at her lifeless body lying next to him in the deserted lab, and even back here in 2043, the lump in his throat was still present. He could feel the prickle of tears in his eyes, and he was too tired to fight them. No matter what he did, she always died.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement to his left and looked up to see Ramse entering the room, slowing down when he saw Cole. Ramse stopped, raising his arms to rest on his head for a second as if he was unsure what to say.

Then he stepped closer. “A hell of a lot has happened since you’ve been gone, brother.”

Cole sniffled once, his voice cracking on his first words before he could pull himself together. “I know. I heard everything.”

Ramse seemed agitated, upset even. “Well, you know what she did, right?”

He could understand Jones now, knew better than anyone why they were doing this. “She did what she had to.”

Ramse’s voice was sharp and reproachful. “She murdered half of Spearhead. They had a cure! She’s lied to us, man!”

He hadn’t known about the cure, but he didn’t doubt Jones’ priorities. A cure was a delusion, even Cassie had eventually understood that. He let out a breath, staying quiet.

“You with her on this?” Ramse asked, incredulous.

Cole shook his head almost imperceptibly. Spearhead didn’t matter. A cure didn’t matter. Not anymore. That wouldn’t save Cassie or bring her back.

“The mission’s all that matters now.”

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End file.
